I-70 closed for hours near De Beque after bomb scare

A bomb technician and a robot investigate a suspicious item that led to a closure of Interstate 70 near DeBeque for nearly four hours Tuesday afternoon. The item turned out to be a non-explosive piece of equipment.

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Interstate 70 was closed for several hours Tuesday after a suspicious item was discovered on a bridge near mile marker 62 between De Beque and Parachute.

The Colorado Department of Transportation and Colorado State Patrol secured the area at 11:30 a.m. A bomb squad examined the object and, around 3:30 p.m., was able to determine that it was not a threat.

“The Grand Junction Police Department Bomb Squad was able to open the suspicious item using render-safe techniques so bomb technicians could see inside,” read a release from the Mesa County joint information center. “After examining it, the bomb technicians determined it was not an explosive device, and instead was likely a piece of equipment used by workers in the energy industry.”

Traffic was rerouted via Highway 6 until the road reopened in both directions around 4 p.m.